The Last of Us — What Secrets Does Jackson Wyoming Hold?
The sixth episode of The Last of Us, titled “Kin,” is out! This episode shows us exactly how far Joel and Ellie have come, and how much they have yet to go… It also shows us how far a lot of other characters have come, like Tommy and the overall environment and world of The Last of Us. How has Tommy changed since he last saw Joel? What surprises does the town of Jackson Wyoming hold in store for Ellie? How has Joel’s past affected his current emotional well-being? And how’s Ellie holding up through all this?
After the previous episode of The Last of Us, there are a lot of unanswered questions. How did Sam and Henry’s death affect Joel and Ellie? This episode slows things down a bit on the action and explores Joel and Ellie a little more in depth. They engage in heartfelt conversation in a fantastic chapter that almost completely delivers exactly what it sets out to achieve thanks to great writing and character development throughout.
It’s been three months since Kansas City, and the pair are still reeling from the deaths of Sam and Henry. It’s hit Joel particularly hard as it’s shaken his confidence in protecting Ellie. But what else is brought up from the past? By now Joel is weathered and weary. He’s been fighting for over 20 years at this point. Seeing a young kid like Henry succumb to the virus really shakes Joel to the core. He couldn’t bring himself to shoot him. This momentary hesitation leads Joel to believe that he can no longer protect Ellie. So he asks his brother Tommy to take Ellie down to Colorado to find the fireflies. But why does Tommy hesitate? What’s he been up to since Texas?
When Joel and Ellie arrive in Jackson, the town seems almost normal. Order is maintained through communal living, working for and sharing resources. The nuance in this scene is that it provides a balanced take on a largely controversial political topic. Very well done! Tommy explains that when he found this place, the residents took him in and made him part of the flock. He’s grown accustomed to Jackson, even marrying a woman and becoming a father. He’s become a lot more risk averse than when we last saw him in the first episode of the series. But is he willing to risk everything to deliver Ellie to the fireflies?
In a tense, heartfelt conversation, Joel explains to Tommy that he’s pretty much lost his edge, that he wouldn’t be able to protect Ellie when it mattered most. So he makes the decision to have Tommy travel with Ellie down to Colorado. But why does he think he can’t protect Ellie after making it most of the way across the country? The deaths of Sam and Henry seemed to have awakened the deeply rooted traumatic experience of losing his own daughter at the outbreak of the pandemic. Seeing a young girl in Jackson reinforces Joel’s trauma and he is unable to cope with it. But what other effects does the town of Jackson hold in store for Joel and Ellie?
Jackson seems to be a strange place for Ellie from the very beginning. Ellie commenting on her food in Jackson being the first proper meal of her life speaks volumes about how FEDRA ran things back in Boston. In another scene, Maria takes Ellie to the town center for a movie, an experience that Ellie has never had and finds quite strange. Ellie seems to be a fish out of water in this town. It seems that the rough open country and survival seems to suit her better. But is she really ready to be on her own?
When it comes time to leave, Tommy begins taking Ellie down to the stables where they find Joel saddling up. When he told her they would be parting ways, Joel didn’t seem to give Ellie a choice. But something in him moved him after his heartfelt talk with his brother Tommy. The onscreen chemistry between Joel and Tommy is something that was sorely lacking until now. Pedro Pascal and Gabriel Luna truly shine in this episode. Their conversation reinvigorates Joel enough to retake the mantle and deliver Ellie to the Fireflies in Colorado. Was he strong enough for the task?
Toward the end of the episode, we find the answers to both these questions. They arrive at the university only to find it deserted. But they are not alone. A group of raiders finds their horse and begins hunting them down. Joel manages to kill one of them only to be very gravely wounded by the butt of the raider’s baseball bat. Ellie manages to get Joel onto the horse and they ride away a fair distance before Joel falls off the horse and goes unconscious. This is where we finally get some dramatic range out of Bella Ramsey. In this very touching ending scene, Ellie confesses to the unconscious Joel that she isn’t ready to be on her own. It’s where we finally see a father/daughter dynamic begin to emerge.
Overall, the sixth episode of The Last of Us brought us the most character development of the series thus far. The onscreen chemistry between Joel and Tommy was spectacular. Gabriel Luna really brought his “A” game in this emotionally charged episode. A relationship finally beginning to emerge between Joel and Ellie begs the question: can Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey also develop some onscreen chemistry? This will be something to watch for in the final few episodes that will wrap up what seems to be the best new show of 2023!
If you like this review, check out the video review on YouTube: